QuoteReplyTopic: Best Songwriter in Queen Posted: August 13 2012 at 12:21

What I always loved about Queen is that every member wrote songs. They were all accomplished songwriters. Now it's time for you to choose who is the best:

Freddie Mercury: The main songwriter of the band, who was very theatrical but always wanted to do something different with every song. Styles differ in each of his songs. From heavy metal in "Ogre Battle" and "Death on Two Legs" to ballads in "Somebody To Love" to the most popular rock opera song to this day "Bohemian Rhapsody", his songs were always different.

Brian May: The guitarist who can write very heavy stuff (Sweet Lady, Tie Your Mother Down) to folk (39', Some Day One Day) to progressive rock (Father To Son, Prophet's Song). He was the other main songwriter.

Roger Taylor: The drummer who was the most personal songwriter in the band (I'm In Love With My Car, Radio GaGa (who came with something his son said)).

John Deacon: The secret weapon in the band, who wrote some of the band's biggest hits (You're My Best Friend, Another One Bites The Dust, I Want To Break Free).

Poseidon wants to Acquire the Taste of the Fragile Lamb
- Derek Adrian Gabriel Anderson, singer of the band Geneyesontle

I was a huge fan back in high school, and it was always Roger's songs that I looked forward to the most. He was kind of my hero for a while. I think I remember making a mixed tape of just Roger Taylor songs. He only had 1 or 2 songs per album, but I always loved them.

Freddie and Brian were probably "best" - more prolific, certainly, and more central to the Queen sound -- but I'm giving my vote to Rog.

Edited by HolyMoly - August 13 2012 at 12:30

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It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased.

I have always been a fan of May (not to disparage Mercury, who also wrote many of my favorites by the band.)

The Prophet's Song, 39, Fat Bottomed Girls, Hammer To Fall, It's Late (especially It's Late), I Want It All, Who Wants To Live Forever, We Will Rock You, Keep Yourself Alive, She Makes Me (Stormtrooper In Stillettos) the list goes on and on.

I've always enjoyed May's writing the most. Mercury has also written some great stuff too, but he had some real clunkers in there, like Delilah or Body Language. I also enjoyed Taylor's writing quite a bit as well. Aside from a few songs, was never a huge fan of Deacon's songwriting (Spread Your Wings notwithstanding).

I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you?

I've always enjoyed May's writing the most. Mercury has also written some great stuff too, but he had some real clunkers in there, like Delilah or Body Language. I also enjoyed Taylor's writing quite a bit as well. Aside from a few songs, was never a huge fan of Deacon's songwriting (Spread Your Wings notwithstanding).

Deacon's songwriting (with a couple of exceptions) always struck me as rather trite and obvious. The songs aren't bad, but I always felt like I had heard them done before. I'm not the hugest fan of Taylor either (Rock It(Prime Jive) is so bad that it wraps around to be good again) but at least he was original.

I was a huge fan back in high school, and it was always Roger's songs that I looked forward to the most. He was kind of my hero for a while. I think I remember making a mixed tape of just Roger Taylor songs. He only had 1 or 2 songs per album, but I always loved them.

Freddie and Brian were probably "best" - more prolific, certainly, and more central to the Queen sound -- but I'm giving my vote to Rog.

Steve, what are your favorite Roger Taylor songs. If I had to pick one, it is this one:

What about you ?

Poseidon wants to Acquire the Taste of the Fragile Lamb
- Derek Adrian Gabriel Anderson, singer of the band Geneyesontle

I like the songs of Brian May and Roger Taylor, but I cannot vote for anyone but Freddie Mercury: he wrote Bohemian Rhapsody and Innuendo.

Actually, while Freddie played a large role in the song, Innuendo wasn't quite his song, the way Bohemian Rhapsody was. The music was based on a jam between the other three members which Freddie molded into a song and the lyrics were mostly Roger's.

@llama - I agree with you on Deacon. Most of his stuff seemed rather generic. Roger did write a lot of songs I loved though - Drowse, Sheer Heart Attack, Human Body, A Kind of Magic, the lyrics to One Vision and Innuendo, Breakthrough, Invisible Man, and so on. I will admit though that Rock It was not his best work. Why it made it to the album and Human Body (a much better song) was relegated to a b-side I'll never know.

I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you?

I like the songs of Brian May and Roger Taylor, but I cannot vote for anyone but Freddie Mercury: he wrote Bohemian Rhapsody and Innuendo.

Actually, while Freddie played a large role in the song, Innuendo wasn't quite his song, the way Bohemian Rhapsody was. The music was based on a jam between the other three members which Freddie molded into a song and the lyrics were mostly Roger's.

@llama - I agree with you on Deacon. Most of his stuff seemed rather generic. Roger did write a lot of songs I loved though - Drowse, Sheer Heart Attack, Human Body, A Kind of Magic, the lyrics to One Vision and Innuendo, Breakthrough, Invisible Man, and so on. I will admit though that Rock It was not his best work. Why it made it to the album and Human Body (a much better song) was relegated to a b-side I'll never know.

I never knew this. It seemed to my ears that Innuendo has all the features of Mercury's songwriting.

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